When we find ourselves with nothing to do, it doesn’t take long for our minds to wander. Although we rarely remember what we were thinking about when our minds snap back to attention, it usually involves a more elaborate journey into our own thoughts than we realize.
It’s surprisingly easy to go from thinking about space to imagining yourself winning a lightsaber battle to imagining yourself winning an old argument to finding an old YouTube video you liked on the subject.
I say all of that to say that apparently, a lot of people recently went down this mental rabbit hole and rekindled their hankering for Alanis Morissette’s modern twist on her hit “Ironic.”
So if you missed it or you’re also feeling that hankering, you’re in luck.
Those old enough to remember the song the first time around will likely never truly get its catchy chorus out of their heads.
And only the strongest of us have managed to stop saying “don’t you think?” every time someone rhetorically asks “isn’t it ironic?”
Trust me, it was a real problem back in 1996.
Of course, those who know the song well enough also recall that there wasn’t anything particularly ironic about its lyrics.
Whether we’re talking about rain on our wedding day or a free ride when we’ve already paid, they always sounded more like unfortunate coincidences than anything ironic.
But to our appreciative ears, it didn’t matter. She gave us a catchy song that was fun to sing along to and that was all we needed.
And that’s fortunate because you can probably count the number of times that someone needed a knife, but ended up with 10,000 spoons on one hand.
This probably explains why almost 20 years later, she decided to give the lyrics a little update.
Wearing the same style of iconic red beanie, Alanis sang of more relatable conundrums like, “An old friend sends you a Facebook request. You only find out they’re racist after you accept.”
She introduced the new twist on her classic on The Late Late Show With James Corden back in 2015.
And of course, James is never one to waste an opportunity to turn a song into a duet. So he joined in with a lament about a new iPhone coming out the day after you buy it.
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As the song goes on, it also gives Alanis a chance to acknowledge what fans have been saying for decades.
Yes, she is aware that none of the lyrics in “Ironic” actually fit the definition of irony. I guess that means we can stop telling her now.
So does that mean that the new lyrics actually are ironic?
Well, no. But at the very least, they’re easier to understand than figuring out how somebody ended up with 10,000 spoons.
There isn’t 10,000 of anything this time around, in case you were worried.
So if you haven’t seen it, treat yourself to a touching tale of missing Amazon packages and regrettable left swiping.
And since they already addressed it, there’s no need to focus on how ironic it isn’t this time. Don’t let me stop you, though.
